This week there are a few match-ups that are going to be tough, while others not so much. The Bears vs. Texans game is going to be a great matchup between two great defensive teams.

San Diego Chargers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers; Buccaneers to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

San Diego Chargers

+3 +105

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

-3 -125

With both teams entering the 10th week with 4 – 4 records, this match will be a deciding factor for either one of these teams. There will only be 7 more games to play after this, so they need to start shaping up now if they want to make it to the playoffs.

San Diego Chargers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rank

Offensive

Rank

16

Average Score For

5

26

Total Yards

9

19

Rushing Yards

9

22

Passing Yards

13

Rank

Defensive

Rank

8

Average Score Against

19

9

Total Yards

29

4

Rushing Yards

1

18

Passing Yards

32

Tampa Bay will attain their victory during this matchup thanks to their overwhelmingly better offense than the Chargers. We have all heard the saying that better defenses win games, but in this case, they can’t do everything. The Buccaneers have a great offensive lineup, with QB Josh Freeman leading the group with a great passing arm. The offense is great overall, meaning they have good rushing and passing players. They have RB Doug Martin, with 7 touchdowns and 794 rushing yards; as well as 245 receiving yards. WR Vincent Jackson has been essential for playing deep, and getting those long passes and touchdowns; with 6 touchdowns and 710 yards. WR Mike Williams is another great player, giving Freeman another receiver to pass to with 5 touchdowns and 504 yards.

The Chargers defense may be good, but the overall offense and defense of the Buccaneers has allowed them to keep and acquire possession of the ball to a great extent. This is what has helped them win some tough matches against the Vikings and Raiders, all while on the road. This will certainly be a high scoring game, with a good point difference between the two.

Atlanta Falcons vs. New Orleans Saints; Falcons to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

Atlanta Falcons

-3 +105

New Orleans Saints

+3 -125

With the Flacons being the only remaining team with an undefeated record, their next matchup will be a tough one. The Falcons might be able to continue with their winning streak, as they face the Saints on the road.

Atlanta Falcons

New Orleans Saints

Rank

Offensive

Rank

7

Average Score For

8

8

Total Yards

5

25

Rushing Yards

30

8

Passing Yards

2

Rank

Defensive

Rank

5

Average Score Against

28

19

Total Yards

32

24

Rushing Yards

32

14

Passing Yards

29

The Saints have never been very good at defeating teams that had a better offense than defense, seeing how they also rely more on their offense than defense to win games. When they are up against strong offensive teams, their defense is unable to keep up. This is one area that the Falcons have done well at, exploiting their opponent’s weaknesses. The Falcons defense does a good job of forcing 4th down punts, as well as fumbles and interceptions, which all aid with them regaining possession of the ball. While their offense takes advantage of each possession in order to score. They have a great QB, Matt Ryan, who has been able to throw for 17 touchdowns and even run 1 touchdown in himself. The Falcons have a great overall offensive line, where they have various players to depend on, instead of just a select few. This will allow them to get around the weaker Saints offense and score.

This is another NFL matchup that will end with really high scores. Despite having the advantage, the Falcons will be in a close race against the Saints in order to win this game.

New York Jets vs. Seattle Seahawks; Seahawks to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

New York Jets

+7 -120

Seattle Seahawks

-7 (EVEN)

These two teams have not had an exceptional season so far, but the Seahawks have surprised many with their victories. It would seem that they are aiming to get another step closer to the playoffs.

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Rank

Offensive

Rank

21

Average Score For

24

27

Total Yards

29

14

Rushing Yards

7

25

Passing Yards

31

Rank

Defensive

Rank

24

Average Score Against

3

16

Total Yards

4

29

Rushing Yards

11

6

Passing Yards

7

The Seahawks defense has been showing just how good they are this season. Even with a few losses the team has been able to stay within a touchdown away from winning; even when playing much tougher opponents. Their defense will help them beat the Jets, who have been doing poorly in both areas. The Seahawks defense has done a good job of getting possession of the ball back once they have lost it, getting plenty of fumbles and interceptions along the way. With a sack prone Mark Sanchez, the Seattle defense will be having a great time chasing him down. This will still be a very close match, as both teams focus on the same strategies of rushing the ball more than passing it. They tend to reserve their passing for short to medium passes that can get them some yards or a touchdown. With such offensive tendencies, it is the team with the ability to stop those crucial plays that will win.

This match will have smaller than average scoring, with the Seahawks being able to pull away from the Jets by at least a touchdown.

Houston Texans vs. Chicago Bears; Texans to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

Houston Texans

+1 -110

Chicago Bears

-1 -110

Both teams have a 7 – 1 record, and do not want to see their losses go up. This is going to be an excellent match between two very strong defensive teams.

Houston Texans

Chicago Bears

Rank

Offensive

Rank

2

Average Score For

3

12

Total Yards

25

8

Rushing Yards

11

16

Passing Yards

29

Rank

Defensive

Rank

4

Average Score Against

2

3

Total Yards

6

2

Rushing Yards

6

4

Passing Yards

16

The Bears have made a great comeback from their loss against the Packers early on in the season, but the one thing that continues to set them back during the tougher games is the lack of a better, more constant offense; which leaves them relying on their defense. On the other hand, the Texans have created a good balance between their offense and defense, making it easy to go against most teams. The Texans QB, Matt Schaub has been peforming very well with his accurate throws and little chances for interceptions; the offensive line has been able to keep him safe in the pocket. The Texan defense, even though somewhat on par with the Bears defense, will be able to stop the Bears offense. The Bears have not done a good job of protecting their QB Jay Cutler, making it an obvious weakness for their offense. The Bears also tend to rely too heavily on just a few people on their offense, like WR Brandon Marshall and RB Matt Forte; both of which will be having a hard time gaining yards against the Texan defense.

This match will be close, with scoring and change of possession happening quite often. It is hard to gauge how the final scores will turn out, as it will depend on whether the offense or defense of each team performs better than its counterpart; it could end up being really high or really low scores.

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Pittsburgh Steelers; Steelers to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

Kansas City Chiefs

+13 -115

Pittsburgh Steelers

-13 -105

With the Steelers getting back in the groove of things, their signature defense has started look more and more like the defense they had when they won the Super Bowl in 2006 and 2009.

Kansas City Chiefs

Pittsburgh Steelers

Rank

Offensive

Rank

29

Average Score For

13

16

Total Yards

14

3

Rushing Yards

21

25

Passing Yards

10

Rank

Defensive

Rank

30

Average Score Against

9

17

Total Yards

1

22

Rushing Yards

7

11

Passing Yards

1

The Steelers have been able to win their past three matches, and were able to defeat the Giants, which was a surprise for many. It is mainly thanks to their very effective defense. They are able to stop their opponents, regardless of their tactics. That fact, mixed with the Chiefs tendency to lose the ball quite often, is a recipe for success for the Steelers. Ben Roethlisberger has been able to get the Steeler offense back on track, along with RB’s Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer, and WR’s Antonio Brown and Mike Wallace, and TE Heath Miller. As you could probably imagine with such a disparity between offenses and defenses, the final score of the match will be quite high in favor of the Steelers. Not only will the score be high, but the point difference as well; you could consider it will be a blowout.